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Bourbon Chicken is juicy, tender chicken thighs cut into pieces simmered in a sweet, brown sugar glaze that will melt in your mouth!
Reasons You Will LOVE This Chicken Recipe
- The flavor is out of this world: The rick and thick sauce covers all of the chicken and is made out of bourbon and brown sugar as the base! YUM.
- Easy: This recipe uses simple ingredients. No need to run to the store for any fancy seasonings!
- Ready in 30 Minutes: This recipe is quick to whip up, and the leftovers are incredible! Serve it with some Perfectly Soft Buttery Rolls and this Creamy Cucumber Salad to complete your meal!
Ingredients in Bourbon Chicken
All the ingredients are most you already have in your pantry and they are ready to go with one bowl whisked together. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
- Chicken Thighs: I like using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts because they have more flavor. The meat is extra tender and juicy when simmered in the glaze.
- Olive Oil: This is used to cook the chicken but also adds some flavor!
- Bourbon: This is rich in flavor, and the alcohol cooks out when simmered with the glaze. If you don’t want to use bourbon, you can use apple cider instead!
- Soy Sauce: brings added flavor and a pinch of salty taste.
- Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar in this recipe, but dark will work fine too!
- Garlic Cloves: I can’t resist adding a hint of garlic to the recipe!
- Cornstarch: This coats the chicken making it a little crispy on the outside.
- Water: This is added to the sauce. Add more or less depending on the consistency that you like.
- Sliced Green Onions: These are optional but I love adding them as a garnish on top!
How to Cook Bourbon Chicken
When you combine these ingredients, they are so delicious! It is a tried and true recipe that is a family favorite.
- Cook the chicken: In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil and chicken. Cook until brown and no longer pink.
- Whisk together sauce: In a small bowl whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the sauce.
- Combine chicken and sauce in a skillet: Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken
So many people want to cook this bourbon chicken in the crockpot and let me tell you, it’s so delicious and it makes a great slow cooker meal! Find all of the info on my post: Crockpot Bourbon Chicken.
Bourbon Chicken Substitutes and Variations
- Thighs or Chicken Breasts: I use chicken thighs but you are welcome to use chicken breasts instead Chicken thighs are more tender and juicy while using chicken breasts reduces the fat.
- Bourbon Substitute: If you don’t have bourbon, then you can use apple cider instead!
- Does the Bourbon Burn Off? The alcohol from the bourbon evaporates completely while cooking. It is safe for children to eat.
- For crispier chicken: Dip your chicken in a beaten egg and roll into flour. Then fry it in some oil for a crispier chicken before adding the sauce.
- Add some spice: If you love a little heat, add some red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce, or paprika to the glaze when whisking.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Bourbon Chicken
Storing
- In the Refrigerator: Once your chicken has cooled then you can store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: Bourbon chicken is great to freeze! Place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label it with the date!
Reheating
If you are reheating frozen leftovers, thaw them in your fridge overnight before you reheat them.
- In the Microwave: Heat in 1-2 minute intervals on high, stirring in between.
- On the Stovetop: Reheat your bourbon chicken over medium heat, adding a splash of water or broth if needed.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try!
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Bourbon Chicken
Bourbon Chicken is juicy, tender chicken thighs cut into pieces simmered in a sweet, brown sugar glaze that will melt in your mouth!
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs or breasts cut into one inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup bourbon*
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil and chicken. Cook until brown and no longer pink.
- In a small bowl whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
Video
Notes
*Can substitute with apple cider.
Originally Posted on September 10, 2019
Updated on August 20, 2024
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 856mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
My husband made this recipe as written. We don’t both like a recipe often and we both LOVED this! Made with rice the first night. Had leftover sauce and chicken so reheated and put over cooked pasta. Just as delicious as the first night.
The leftovers of this are so good! Thanks for your review!!
As far as technique I would suggest holding the water, putting the cornstarch to the side. Cutting chicken into 1 inch dice and marinating for 2 to 24 hrs. Save your marinade while cooking. Pan medium high heat, oil, sear chicken ( don’t crowd it will steam, do 2 batches if needed). Put your cooked chicken in a bowl to the side. Add desired amount of cornstarch to your remaining marinade. Drop heat add chicken and marinade together into original pan for 5 to 10 min stirring occasionally
Tasty but, like everyone else, toooo salty. I added ginger, syrup, ketchup and white sugar and then it was edible.
It just need’ed ketchup!
This recipe was fantastic! The only changes I made were using a tablespoon of cornstarch instead of only a teaspoon and cutting the soy sauce down to 1/3 a cup instead of 1/2 a cup. I added a little cajun seasoning for heat, and my husband loved it. This is going into our regular rotation for sure!
EXCELLENT! I did use low sodium soy because I don’t like super salty, red pepper flakes and an extra clove of garlic. Served with jasmine rice and broccoli. Thank you for this recipe it will be in the rotation for sure.
This was a huge hit with my family. Even with my son, who is autistic and only has about 3 recipes he’ll touch on a regular basis!
I did make one alteration, and that was actually due to a mistake on my part for not checking what I had in my kitchen close enough.
Instead of soy sauce, I used Worcestershire sauce. I did see a few comments saying that even the low-sodium soy sauce made the glaze too salty, but with the Worcestershire sauce I thought it was perfect! I know 1/2 cup is a lot of the (admittedly expensive) Worcestershire to use, but if you happen to have some extra lying around I’d definitely give it a try because it’s delicious!
Wow! Simple delicious PERFECT! Totally satisfied.
TY😎
So awesome! I did Chicken & next salmon. I started low carb in January so i used brown sugar swerve. Definitely stocking up on Jim Beam one of my new favorite recipes.
Thanks Dolly
Easy to make. Flavorful, a bit salty. Next time I would use low sodium soy and maybe reduce the amount (that is a personal preference, my kids didn’t notice, not a critique). Maybe next time I will add bacon. As hare as taste, it was great. My picky eating kids loved it, there were no leftovers. Thanks for the recipe
Straight forward and easy. There was a really nice amount of sauce for the amount of meat. Sauce was too salty and a little one-dimensional. Also my sauce was more runny than the picture. I made it a second time with low-sodium soy sauce and added some extra cornstarch. I also added a little over 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp black pepper, a generous teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp of onion powder, and a Tbsp of rice vinegar (I’m sure cider vinegar would be fine too). That took it to a whole new place. Next time I will cut even the low-sodium soy sauce back just a bit.
There are a lot of other recipes out there which add many of the ingredients you mentioned, and they do make a fairly tasty dish, but it’s simply NOT the Bourbon Chicken you will get at the mall or in New Orleans. This recipe is the closest I’d found, and the sauce is SUPPOSED to be pretty salty and pretty runny – if it’s too salty or one-dimensional, you may be putting TOO MUCH of the sauce on your chicken and rice. Try less sauce next time.
Great meal!Very straightforward and easy to prepare.
Used the bourbon glaze part of the recipe next time thank I will use less soy sauce came out a little salty
This was a hit with my kids! Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! My whole family loved it! I read the review above. I did not find it too salty, though may try a little less soy sauce the next time I make it and see if it alters the taste too much as I’m always looking to cut sodium intake.
Hi Alyssa,
I am loving your recipes, especially the Asian inspired. Last week I made your easy fried rice and the sweet & sour chicken. Both were amazing! I did use tempura because I didn’t have corn starch… but I’m ready now!
In this recipe you mentioned ginger early on but it’s not in the ingredients… can you clarify for me?
Your newest fan,
Laura in Maine
I liked this but had way too much soy sauce-making it so salty. If I made again prob would do 1/4 cup only.
Absolutely agree Kim! Second time we’ve made this & it’s far too salty!
Coconut Aminos is a great soy sauce sub. that makes this way less salty but still super delicious!
Did you all happen to us low sodium soy sauce and it was too salty?